How Many Words Is an Average Blog Post?
An average blog post is 1,500 to 2,500 words, with most current SEO content marketing studies reporting an average closer to 1,900 words. The number has grown steadily over time — average post length was around 800 words in 2014 and has roughly doubled since. The drift toward longer posts reflects search-ranking pressure rather than reader preference.
How we calculated it
There is a real difference between "average post length" and "best-performing post length." Studies that look at top-ranking posts on competitive keywords consistently find median lengths between 2,000 and 3,000 words, sometimes higher for definitive-guide formats. Studies that look at all published blog posts find median lengths closer to 1,000 to 1,200 because most blog posts are not optimized for search.
The right length for any given post depends on search intent. Commercial-intent queries (with phrases like "best," "review," "vs," "alternatives") consistently rank posts between 1,500 and 2,500 words. Informational head terms (definitions, "what is," "how does") often have top results between 2,500 and 4,000 words. Long-tail informational queries can rank with as little as 600 to 900 words if the answer is precise and well-structured.
For non-SEO blog content (newsletters, personal essays, brand journalism) the optimal length is much shorter — typically 600 to 1,200 words. These formats trade search ranking for repeat readers, and shorter posts respect the reader's time and attention budget.
Count your own words
Paste your draft into the free word counter to see exactly how many words you have written, plus character count, reading time, and speaking time. The tool runs entirely in your browser — your text is never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should an SEO blog post be?
- For commercial-intent queries, 1,500 to 2,500 words usually performs best. For pillar content on head terms, 2,500 to 4,000. For long-tail queries, often 800 to 1,200 is enough if the content is precise.
- Are 500-word blog posts dead?
- For ranking on competitive keywords, mostly yes. For email newsletters, brand journalism, and posts published primarily for repeat readers (not search), 500 to 800 words still works well.
- What is the ideal blog post length for engagement?
- Reader engagement (time on page, scroll depth, social shares) tends to peak between 1,000 and 1,800 words. Beyond 2,500 words, engagement metrics typically decline even if rankings improve.
Related word counts
- How many words in a 5-minute read article? — about 1,250 words
- How many words in a 10-minute read article? — about 2,500 words
- How many words in a Medium article? — about 1,500 words
- How many words in a average essay? — about 1,500 words
More in Reading Time
Word counts that map to silent reading times of 5, 10, 15 minutes and longer — based on a 250-words-per-minute reading rate.
Last reviewed: May 2026. Word-count guidelines are based on the standard 130 wpm speaking pace, 150 wpm narration pace, and 250 wpm silent reading pace; adjust to your own delivery for best accuracy.